Echo
by xxMiR
Summary: Sarah can't seem to let go of the past. When her boyfriend accidentally wishes her away and has to run the labyrinth, will she choose to be with the Goblin King or will she go back to her old life?


**Disclaimer:** I don't own any rights to _Labyrinth._

I don't really have any cool things to say, unfortunately, but on with the show!

* * *

Sarah looked around her, blinking to clear her vision. Everything was blurry. She had absolutely no idea where she was, but it all seemed familiar. Someone was talking to her in a muffled voice. She crinkled her brow, waiting for the room to focus.

"...from living up to your expectations. Isn't that generous?"

Her breath hitched in her throat. Sarah tried to take a step back, but her body would not move. She was frozen in place. She felt the hairs on her neck rise, her throat tightened. She wanted to run. She felt the need to run as far away as she could from him. She couldn't believe she was in this situation again. This was just ridiculous.

The Goblin King. He watched her with a hawk-like expression, waiting for her response.

"Through dangers untold," Sarah flinched mentally as she began reciting the passage from the little red book, "and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours and my-"

"Stop! Look, Sarah," he conjured a crystal and held it up to her. "Look at what I am offering you. Your dreams."

She kept her eyes trained on the Goblin King. She was so close to falling into temptation. She shook her head. She remembered all too well what happened the last time he offered her a crystal filled with her dreams.

"And my kingdom as great." Sarah continued, taking daring steps towards him. The desperate look on the Goblin King's face was a tell-tale sign that she was winning and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want."

Toby. Think about Toby. "My kingdom as great..." she murmured. It was frustrating. The line was just on the tip of her tongue. "Damn.. I can never remember that line.."

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave," he pleaded, offering the crystal, again.

She almost gave in. He seemed so sincere. No. It's a trap. He'll use anything to distract her from what she really needed to focus on. Saving Toby.

"My kingdom as great..my kingdom.." She looked up, finally remembering the line. "You have-"

"Sarah. Sarah, wake up."

An omniscient voice surrounded her. Sarah looked around, trying to find the source. It was probably a trick by the Goblin King to stop her. She shot an accusing look at him, but he was frozen. It didn't seem like he heard anything. When she opened her mouth to continue, everything began shaking.

She looked around for something to hold on to. The Goblin King was the closest thing she could reach for, but she'd curse herself tenfold if she were to ever reach for him. Even if he was her last resort.

She lost her balance and felt the pull from the nothingness below drag her off the ledge. She stretched her hands out, attempting to grab a hold of the ledge. Instead, she grasped at nothing, only air.

* * *

Her throat felt raw. Sarah opened her eyes, hoping the shaking would stop. She looked to her left at the incriminating source of the shaking. She glared at him.

"Jared, I was having a very good dream," she said.

Jared raised both of his hands, putting a good distance between them and her shoulders. "Alright. You were screaming and it was starting to get annoying. Besides," he put the car in park, "we're here."

"You didn't put the car in park before you decided to shake me awake? With both hands?"

Jared leaned back, his dark blond hair stuck up in awkward places against the head rest. "Relax, Sarah. You don't need two hands to use the breaks. It's not like I was driving. You're being quite irrational." He pinched her cheek and took the keys out of the ignition in one swipe.

Sarah mumbled something under her breath and rubbed her cheek, trying to ebb the pain away. He was right, and she hated that she was wrong. Of course you don't need two hands to use the breaks. She hit herself mentally.

Sarah climbed out of the car and began retrieving her things from the back seat. Jared was already at the door when Sarah brought her three bags to the door. The last being the largest.

"I still don't understand why you need three bags. It's not as if we are staying here for longer than three weeks." Jared eyed her bags incredulously.

Sarah straightened herself before looking at him. "Most of them are presents."

He snorted. "Why am I even here. I could be back at home—"

"Not again, Jared. Behave, please."

He rolled his eyes and faced the front door. Sarah took that as an act of compliance and she rang the doorbell.

"I still think this is a bad idea."

Sarah elbowed him in the ribs. Jared turned to her, glaring. His usual light blue eyes were now stormy. Before he was able to retort, the door opened, saving Sarah. She sighed, relieved. There was no doubt in her mind she'd get an earful tonight.

"Sarah!" Toby cried, jumping into her sister's arms.

Sarah laughed at ruffled his hair, lightly. "You've gotten taller! Soon enough, you'll outgrow me!"

Toby's face flushed and he turned his attention to the man next to him. His eyes widened and he took a few steps back, hiding behind Sarah. Jared raised an eyebrow, looking from Sarah to Toby. They both had the same reaction when they saw him. He noticed something was off between those two.

"Toby, this is—"

"Jared! So nice to finally meet you!" Karen smiled, eyeing the couple. "I've heard _very_ nice things about you," she said behind a hand as if Sarah couldn't hear it. "So where's the ring?"

Jared turned his head to Karen and then at Sarah, a questionable look in his narrowed eyes.

"I-I left it at home by accident. I was in a rush to pack Toby's presents. I mean, I have presents for you and dad, too, but I still had to wrap Toby's and I didn't want the ring to be ruined since I had to wrap..." she cleared her throat, realizing she was rambling. She hoped Karen wouldn't press on about the matter.

"Well, nevertheless, it's so good to see someone who has won over our dear Sarah's heart so easily." Karen looked at Sarah. "We all know she's a hard one to tame."

"Yes," Jared eyed Sarah. A look in his eyes that said _we will talk about this later_. "She is very hard to tame. And quite unpredictable."

Sarah's mouth dropped. They were talking about her as if she were a wild animal. Not that she isn't. Sometimes.

"Well, come inside. Toby, help your sister with her bags." Karen smiled, reverting her attention to Jared. She took his arm and led him inside. "Robert can't wait to meet you. He's been so happy."

That was a lie. Such a big, fat lie.

"Sarah," Toby started, uncertainty laced his voice, "are you really getting married to _him_? Don't you remember what he did?"

Sarah knew exactly what he was referring to, but she feigned innocence. "Did what, Toby?"

Toby stomped his foot. "Sa-raah! You know what I mean! He's the evil man in your stories!"

Sarah blinked. His response surprised her. She thought he remembered what happened all those years ago, but he couldn't have. He was a toddler. It was also her fault that he knew about the stories. She had volumes of her adventures, and more, at the apartment she and Jared shared.

Sarah bent down to his height."He's not the evil man, Toby." She said. "Jared is a sweet person." Lie. "He treats me very well." Another lie. "The man in the story is only fictional." Third time is the charm.

Toby frowned, looking down as if he was trying to figure out what to say. He looked at her and smiled. "As long as you're happy, Sarah!" Toby smiled. He looked around at the luggage. "Which one is the one with all the presents?"

Sarah laughed. "We'll get to that soon enough. You can carry the small one, Toby."

Toby crossed his arms. "No. I want to carry the big one. I'm a big boy, now!"

Sarah's brows shot up. "Okay, then."

Toby tried lifting the largest suitcase and Sarah watched with amusement. Eventually, Toby gave up and brought a smaller suitcase inside the house, stomping on the wooded floors along the way.

Sarah grinned and dragged her suitcases to her room, which is now the guest room. Everything looked so different after she left. The shelves that held her stuffed teddy bears was still there, but other ornaments and trinkets sat on the shelves. A larger, queen sized bed replaced her small, twin sized bed, and the mattress was a pale cream color. Her vanity table was still there, though.

She walked over to it, running her fingers along the edges. She wondered if they would answer if she called for them. It had been so long since the last time. Five years exactly. Would they have forgotten? What if they never came?

Sarah hid her questions to contemplate for later. She still had to say hello to her dad. She wondered if he was still angry at her for storming out the last time she visited. Sarah walked out of her room and down the stairs into the kitchen.

Her father sat at one end of the table with his arms crossed, his face twisted to one of disapproval. Sarah prayed that Jared didn't say anything rash. The pressure in the room was overwhelming. Karen was behind Robert, with a hand on his shoulder. Toby sat in a chair looking back and forth from Jared to Robert. His expression said it all.

"Hi, dad," Sarah said, walking over to Jared. She could hear the anxiety in her voice.

"Sarah," he acknowledged, keeping his stare on Jared.

Jared shifted uncomfortably in his chair towards Sarah. "I was just telling your father the story of how we met."

Sarah cringed mentally. She and Jared met in a club that her friend dared her to go to. She hoped Jared made up another story to save her hide. Judging by the look on her father's face, he didn't. Jared smiled up at Sarah, obviously very pleased with the destruction he caused. Sarah scowled at him, mentally cursing him somewhere far worse than hell itself.

"Well, how about dinner? I think dinner would be nice right now." Karen clapped her hand and ushered everyone into the dining room.

They rarely ever used the dining room. The only time Sarah can remember it being used was during a family reunion one Thanksgiving. Sarah hated that Thanksgiving mostly because she had to share her room with five other girls she didn't know. They touched _everything_. Sarah hated sharing.

"Sarah, could you help me bring in the food?" Karen asked. Sarah glanced at Jared. "Oh, don't worry about him. He's a big boy. Come."

Karen dragged Sarah into the kitchen and closed the door behind them. She folded her arms and leaned against the counter. "Just give them some time. They'll warm up to each other, eventually. My father reacted the same way when I introduced your father. Of course, we were older than you, but just give it some time." She put a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder and gave her a small smile.

* * *

After dinner, everyone retired to their rooms. Toby begged Sarah for a bedtime story, but Karen scolded him. She said he was far too old for bedtime stories. Sarah promised that she would tomorrow.

She opened the door to her room and closed it behind her. When she turned around and found blue eyes staring at her, she nearly fell into the door. She put a hand over her heart and took a deep breath. "Jared, don't scare me like that."

"Engaged, huh?" He questioned.

Sarah put a hand to her head. "I had to tell her something. My father would have a fit if he knew we were not engaged and living together."

"So how are you going to get out of this one?" He crossed his arms. "You _know_ I don't plan on settling down."

"I know."

"Good."

Sarah looked away. She didn't think much about her future with Jared. She knew they were nowhere near ready to be married. She was just comfortable with the way her life is now. Everything just became a routine. Go here, go there, do this, do that. It was almost robotic.

Jared turned her head to have her look at him. "You know I don't mean it like that."

Her eyes faltered. "I know."

"Do you?"

Not really. She looked at him and her green eyes met his blue. His hand reached up behind her, cupping the back of her neck. He inched forward, slowly closing the distance between them. Her body stilled in anticipation.

He captured her lips in one swift move. Sarah resisted pulling away, suddenly surprised by his aggression. Jared kept his hold on her, pulling her even closer. He tilted his head and tugged on her lip with his teeth. She gasped at the pain and he took advantage by dipping his tongue inside.

When she gave in, she found herself pinned against the wall with her hand tangled in his hair and the other on his chest, their lips locked in a battle of dominance. Jared kept assaulting her lips with violent, feverish kisses. He created a trail of fire from her lips to her neck. She gasped when he nibbled on a soft spot between her collarbone.

He averted his attention back to her lips, trapping them with slow, small kisses.

"Jareth," she sighed.

He froze.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello, everyone! This is my first fanfic on this site. I have been an avid _anonymous _reader. I thought it was time to make an account and try to write a _Labyrinth_ fanfiction. I absolutely adore the movie and I treasure my DVD copy. I had a VHS lying around somewhere, but it got lost in time with all the constant moving.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I'm writing the second chapter currently, and I will try my best to stay cannon. If there are any errors in my writing, feel free to point them out. I love receiving constructive criticism.

Stay safe, everyone!

~Mir lessthanthree!

P.S. If anyone has a problem with Jared's name, I will be more than happy to change it for an easier read for later chapters.


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